No
Change in Recycling Service for Labor Day, Monday, September 2, 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 22, 2003

Curbside
recycling will be collected as normally scheduled on Labor Day.If your recycling day falls on Monday, September 2, be sure to
have your bin out to the curb by 7:00 am, or put it out the night before
as usual.

The
Orange County Landfill on Eubanks Road in Chapel Hill will be closed
Monday, September 2, 2002.Normal
business hours will resume on Tuesday, September 3 (7:00am-4:00pm).

While there has been plenty of rain this summer,
last summer has not been forgotten.“H2Orange”, an educational campaign aimed at creating drought
awareness and encouraging consumer use of water saving devices brings
rain barrels to Orange County.The
65 gallon barrels have a brass spigot for garden hose connection, a
screen in the lid to block mosquitoes and will be offered to Orange
County citizens at a discount.

Orange County staff will be available with conservation tips and to
answer conservation and drought questions.

It is recommended to reserve a barrel prior to the sale.

Sale Date: September 6, 2003

Time: 8am
to 12 noon

Location: Eubanks Road park and ride lot

Cost: $77.58 includes tax

Call 968-2050 for further information or to reserve a barrel or email
rainbarrel@co.orange.nc.us
leaving your name, telephone number and quantity desired.

For further information and to see photos of the system, visit the
vendor website www.rainwatersolutions.com

# # #

250
A-Mazing Years

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 20, 2003

Orange County, NC – Whether you call it a bio-billboard, Agro-tainment,
or corny art, the McKee corn maze makes a huge statement, paying tribute
to Orange County and 250 A-Mazing Years.

In support of diversification of agriculture, the Orange County Soil
and Water Office provided technical assistance in the layout of the corn
maze at the McKee’s Cedar Creek Farm near Caldwell in Northern Orange
County.Over 12 acres of
corn were planted for the design, making it one of the largest in the
area.With help from the
State Division of Soil and Water Conservation and a specialized computer
program, key points were surveyed and then it was, “almost like
connecting the dots,” said Gail Hughes with the Orange County Soil and
Water Office.

With the summer rains, the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye and
with several miles of possible paths; it should be fun for the whole
family.Let’s just hope
aliens don’t confuse this with landing instructions.

School is beginning across much of North
Carolina, which means Friday night football. The return of that sporting
tradition is prompting officials with the N.C. Division of Public Health
and the NCDENR Public Health Pest Management Section to remind
spectators and participants to protect themselves from mosquito-borne
illness.This warning is
especially important in light of Monday’s announcement of the
state’s first West Nile fatality.

State Health Director Dr. Leah Devlin issued the
advisory, noting North Carolina has already recorded two human cases of
West Nile virus (WNV) and that WNV and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE)
have been identified in horses, birds and mosquitoes across the state.

“People participating in or attending outdoor
sporting events or practice need to wear mosquito repellent, and if
possible they should also wear light-colored long pants and long-sleeved
shirts,” she said.“We
are particularly concerned about people at football games.These games often begin right at dusk, which is one of the times
when mosquitoes tend to be very active.”

The N.C. Division of Public Health and NCDENR are
working with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction to get the word
out about mosquito-borne illness to school administrators across the
state.

“August and early September are the big months
for mosquito activity in North Carolina,” said Dr. Nolan Newton, chief
of DENR’s Public Health Management Section. “Now is the time to be
particularly careful in avoiding mosquito bites.”

Newton said that school administrators should also
look around their campuses and make sure that there no place for
mosquitoes to breed –removing
any containers that could hold water, making sure proper drainage is
done, and using larvicides or fish to control mosquito larvae in ponds
and other bodies of water. “Something as innocuous as a birdbath or an
empty flowerpot can become prime mosquito-breeding territory,” he
said.“Make sure that
containers stay empty of water and birdbaths are flushed completely at
least weekly.”

EEE is a rare viral disease, which is transmitted
by some kinds of mosquitoes. It attacks the central nervous system,
causes inflammation of the brain and can be fatal to animals and humans.
Wild birds serve as natural hosts for the virus. Mosquitoes bite the
birds and then can transmit the virus to humans and animals. A person
cannot catch EEE from another person.

About fifty percent of human EEE cases are fatal,
with young children and the elderly most at risk. Symptoms can develop
from a few days to two weeks after being bitten by an infected mosquito.They include rapid onset of fever and headache and can resemble a
case of the flu.Survivors
of EEE infections may suffer from long-term effects to the nervous
system.Therapy is limited
to treating the symptoms of the disease; there is no specific cure.There is a vaccine for horses but no vaccine for humans currently
exists.

WNV is spread in the same way as EEE. According
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the majority of
people infected with WNV will have no symptoms.Twenty percent of the people infected with WNV will develop West
Nile fever, which is a mild illness with fever, headaches, body aches,
an occasional skin rash and swollen lymph nodes. The CDC estimates that
only 1 in 150 people infected with WNV will experience severe infection,
which is called West Nile encephalitis (inflammation of the brain),
meningitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord) or
meningoencephalitis, a combination of both.Symptoms of WNV encephalitis, meningitis and meningoencephalitis
include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation,
coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness and paralysis. People older
than 50 years of age have the highest risk of severe disease. The
incubation period in humans is usually three to 15 days.

Anyone exhibiting the symptoms listed above
should contact his or her health care provider.

North Carolina has reported two WNV human cases
this year – the one which proved fatal and an earlier case of a far
milder form of the disease, which didn’t even result in
hospitilization. There have been no human cases of EEE reported this
year.WNV has been detected in birds or horses from 38 North Carolina
counties.EEE has been
found in horses, chickens or other birds from 29 North Carolina
counties.

Since West Nile virus was first identified, North
Carolina has recorded four human cases – two in 2002 and two this
year.The state averages
about one case of EEE a year.

# # #

Orange
County 250th Anniversary Celebration Wraps Up with Agricultural Heritage
Festival featuring the Festival of the Autumn Moon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 30, 2003

For more information: Dianne Reid, Orange County Economic
Development (919) 245-2325

The event will be held on the Blackwood Farm, a 150-acre site
near the corner of New Hope Church Road (I-40 Exit 263) and Highway 86
between Hillsborough and Chapel Hill.

The free festival will be open to the public on Saturday,
September 20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.Visitors must utilize off-premises park and ride lots, with free
shuttles to the farm.Park and ride lots are at Eubanks Road (off Airport Road in
Chapel Hill near I-40), New Hope Elementary School (New Hope Church
Road), A.L. Stanback Middle School (Hwy 86), and CCB (corner of Churton
Street and Orange Grove Road in Hillsborough).

The Agricultural Heritage Festival will be a retrospective look
at Orange County agriculture from the vantage point of five 50-year
segments. It’ll be somewhat like a county fair, but with lots of
festival activities, all to celebrate 250 years of Orange County history
and diversity.

Activities areas will include:

History Tent

Agricultural
heritage displays provided by the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough in
conjunction with the Orange County Historical Museum and the Burwell School
Historic Site; an oral history corner in which elders relate their
stories and reminiscences; and Interpreters for the following epochs –
Native American (Occaneechi-Saponi); 1850s (Eno Soldiers Relief
Society); 1870s/1880s (spinning and 19th century toys), and
Turn of the 20th Century(Tobacco grading and tying, Homelife artifacts, Butter churning,
Worm Squirm and Agricultural Equipment

Farmers’ Market

A Taste of Orange

Local
restaurants will develop menus around what’s available from local
farmers and sell their delicacies.Seating will be available under a big top tent overlooking
rolling pastures.

Soft drinks and water will be sold by the Orange County 250th
Planning Committee to help offset costs of the celebration.

The simultaneous seventh annual Festival of the Autumn Moon
is a music and visual arts event that has been held in Hillsborough
since 1997 to celebrate the arrival of the “harvest moon” and the
autumn season. Hillsborough’s Festival of the Autumn Moon is unique in
the Triangle area, although celebrations like this are common in other
parts of the world.

Festival of the Autumn Moon helps to showcase the work of many
talented local visual and musical artists, as well as increase awareness
of local history and historic sites. Featured works include pottery,
mixed media composites, photography, woodworking, hiking poles, wearable
art, literary works, jewelry, baskets, crafts, herbal art, acrylic and
mixed media painting, and collage, papercut and calligraphy.

Bring a blanket or chair and enjoy the music throughout the day
on the Autumn Moon Festival Stage.

The combined festivals are being sponsored by the Alliance for
Historic Hillsborough and the Hillsborough Arts Council, the Orange
County Agricultural Preservation Board, the Orange County Arts
Commission, the Orange County Historic Preservation Commission, the Cooperative Extension Services, the Economic Development
Commission, Recreation & Parks Department, and other government and
cultural organizations.

For the most current festival information, call the Economic
Development Commission at (919) 245-2325 or visit one of the following
websites www.orangecounty250.org, www.orangecountyfarms.org,
www.historichillsborough.org or www.chocvb.org.

# # #

BOCC
meeting Change

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 2, 2003

For more information: Donna Baker, Clerk to the Board (919)
245-2130

The Orange County Board of
Commissioners has made two changes to their regular meeting calendar for
the year 2003.

The Board of Commissioners
has changed the meeting date for their scheduled Joint Meeting with the
School Boards from September 22, 2003 to September 29, 2003
starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center, 2501
Homestead Road, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

The Board of Commissioners has scheduled a Work Session for Tuesday,
August 19, 2003, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Government
Services Center, 200 South Cameron Street, Hillsborough, North Carolina
(prior to the Regular Meeting starting at 7:30 p.m. at the F. Gordon
Battle Courtroom, 106 E. Margaret Lane, Hillsborough